Workforce automation to hit young Australians over next decade

Research from the Foundation for Young Australians has revealed that almost two thirds of Australian students are training for jobs that won't exist or are set to change drastically in the future. The report examines the new work order and highlights three economic drivers set to affect the workforce: automation, globalisation and collaboration.

• Automation, with machines increasingly taking over human tasks
• Globalisation, where workers around the world are able to do jobs from remote locations
• Collaboration, which sees an increase in the number of people employed in flexible arrangements with a range of employers

These conditions offer a number of opportunities and can be seen to bring many positives, including increased flexibility and lower barriers to entrepreneurship, but they also pose risks such as unemployment, inequality and insecurity. Young people are set to be hit hardest by the future of work.

The report found that approximately 40 per cent of Australia's jobs are at high risk of automation over the next 10 to 15 years, with labourers, machinery operators, technicians, clerical and administrative workers, and salespeople most at risk. At lower risk and more likely to hold onto their jobs are professionals, managers and workers in the community and care sector.

Looking at young people specifically, disappearing entry-level roles will pose issues. The report found that 70 per cent currently enter the workforce in occupations at high risk of automation and less than 20 per cent are employed in jobs considered more secure. The vocational sector will be hardest hit, with 71 per cent of students training for occupations that will be drastically affected by automation over the next 10 or so years.

A further concern is unemployment and underemployment, affecting one in three young people. This adds to the fact that a third of jobs created in Australia over the last 25 years have been temporary, part-time or self-employment roles, which are considered less secure. Although these roles tend to offer more flexibility, they often don't boast the social protections such as minimum wage and leave entitlements offered by full-time work.

To help prepare young people for the changing landscape, the report recommends an ˜enterprise learning' model, which focuses on providing communication, financial literacy, project management, creativity, innovation and digital literacy skills. In the next two to three years, more than 90 per cent of the current workforce will need digital skills to perform their roles, while 50 per cent will need advanced skills to configure or build systems.

Useful links:

• The New Work Order: Ensuring Young Australians Have Skills and Experience for Jobs of the Future, Not the Past Foundation for Young Australians